Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Thanks so much for lots and lots of sweet commentsencouraging me to write up a tute for the tissue box coverand I'm sorry I couldn't catch up with you guys sooner.I had some other projects to wrap up and school keptme pretty busy for the past few weeks. But here I am backwith the tutorial for a super easy + quick reversible tissue box cover!Hope you'll enjoy.... ;)

***Fabric Measurements for a tissue cover that willfit on a tissue box including Kleenex 200 ct.***

ExteriorEight 7 1/2" x 2 7/8" piecesTwo 5 1/2" x 4 5/8" pieces

InteriorTwo 7 1/2" x 10" piecesTwo 5 1/2" x 4 5/8" pieces

(1/4" seam allowances included)

***Other supplies***

elastic strip (3/4 wide, 5 1/2" long)

Let's cut out eight pieces for the exterior cover.I chose 4 different fabrics, two pieces from each.

Now with right sides together, sew four pieces together, aligning long edges.

Repeat it with the rest of the four piecesand press seam open. Now you have two patchwork panels.

With right sides together, sew the top edge just 2 3/4"for left and right sides leaving a big opening in the middle.(Remember to backstitch at the end toward the middle.)

Press seam open, including the middle part which you didn't sew.

Now let's work on the sides of the exterior cover. Cut out two pieces of fabric according to the dimensions given above.

For each piece, make a little mark in the center in the top edge which you can measure 2 3/4" from one side.

Match the mark on the piece with the center of one of the long edges of the main panel.

Sew the top edge of a side piece onto the main panel.Make sure to backstitch before you reach the seam lines on the sides.

Clip into the seam allowance but make sure not to cut beyond seam lines.Do the same for the other side of corner.(This makes the next step 10 times easier!)

Align the right edge of the side piece and the main panel like this and sew them together.

Repeat it with the left edge of the side pieceso that one side of the exterior cover is complete.(Important note: Make sure to trim the top cornersas depicted in the photo. Doing so makes the tissue cover less bulky.) Now, repeat to sew the other side tothe exterior cover.

Hooray! The exterior cover is completed!Let's now move onto the reversed side!

It would be perfectly fine if you choose to make patchworkpanels for the interior just like you did for the exterior,but here I am simply using two panels cut out from just onefabric just because I felt a little lazy. Forgive me ;)

Complete the interior cover in the exactly same way as theexterior cover (in this case, excluding the patchwork part.)

In the center on one of the long edges of the exterior cover,Baste a strip of elastic, very close to the edge.

Make a mark in the center of the other long edge. This will be a reminder for you to sew the otherside of the elastic strip in between.

With right sides together, align and pin the the exterior and the interior.Sew the bottom edges, starting from the point about an inch away from the mark you just made.

When you're about to reach the mark, backstitch about an inch away from the mark so that you havetwo inches wide opening centering the mark.

Yup, Exactly. You don't wanna forget to attach the other short edge of the elastic to the bottom! Using your fingers,pull out the short edge of the elastic, place itbetween the covers, and sew it up in place.

Turn the cover inside out and topstitch at the bottom.

Lastly, hand-sew the top part of the cover, connectingthe openings of the exterior and the interior.

Then your reversible tissue box cover is complete!!! Woo Hoo!!

This cover will fit on a tissue box measuring 8.2" x 8.4".(Kleenex 200ct, the most standard one that I found at Walmart, will be perfect for this cover.)I'll go and get other standard tissue boxes includingthe cube one and come up with dimensions to maketissue covers for them later, and share with you the dimensions here.

I totally agree with some of you who told me thatit's so hard to find a tissue box at stores thatwill match well with your rooms. It's just a tissuebox, but it make a pretty big, nice difference if the one in your room is covered in the color/design/pattern that you love to look at. Trust me on this one!

Like some of you said, I think this will make a great holiday gift. How about making a reversedside a holiday pattern? ;)

When you make reversible tissue box covers,Take a photo and share your tissue box covers in this flickr group!

I'd also love it if you could let me know what you thinkof this tutorial in the comments too!

you are SO AWESOME for sharing this tutorial! I love visiting your blog!I'm starting to prepare for the holidays (yeah, when you like to give handmade--which are always the best gifts!- you start in the summer!) and I definitely think this would be a charming and useful gift!

Great idea especially the elastic underneath the tissue box to keep it from falling out when picking it up. I will definitely try this tutorial and give it as a gift to love ones. Thanks so much!Jackie

I just discovered your blog today when I saw this. It's SO hard to find tissue holders for this size box, so this is great! I'm going to have to make some for my bathrooms once I get them painted. Thank you!

Hi!I was so glad to find your blog and especially this tutorial. He is great and I loved your cover!I was looking in stores and didnt like the few I found ...I've made two for my home. If you want to see them look at http://omeuladocraft.blogspot.com/2010/10/capa-para-caixa-de-lencos.html Congratulations and Thank you from Portugal

I love this idea, making a mundane, but necessary, item look like it belongs in a room by coordinating the fabric with your room design. And having the option to change it is a great bonus. And it can be done with scrap fabric! Great idea.

I'm so happy to have come across your blog. I want to make so many of your projects. I'm hoping to make several of these for my son's teachers (present and past). I think it will be so neat to have the different seasons and holidays represented on their tissue box cover. Thank you for sharing your talents!

I´m your 5000 follower!!! I love your fabulous blog penguin too :)!I found you today and I'm so happy! Thank you so much about your great tutorials, particulary these because I began another model that didin't go well and I am now inspired by this tutorial to fix it .At the end I'll send you a picture .Thanks again for sharing all your talent.Have a look at my blog I’ll be very glad .

I attempted a tissue box cover without a pattern thinking it would be simple. It's unfinished and collecting dust now. I'm so glad I stumbled onto your tute. What a great idea to do the other side for Christmas. I'm going to make a bunch for each season because I got through tons of tissue! A big thank you for this. YAAAY!

I attempted a tissue box cover without a pattern thinking it would be simple. It's unfinished and collecting dust now. I'm so glad I stumbled onto your tute. What a great idea to do the other side for Christmas. I'm going to make a bunch for each season because I got through tons of tissue! A big thank you for this. YAAAY!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! My name is Ayumi. I love sharing my crafty journal and other little anecdotes in my life here. I am a mother to a baby girl and a wife to my husband from Seattle. We live in a small apartment in Tokyo. I hope you enjoy being here :) Welcome♪